My .22 WMR

[The Deer Hunter]

So, I have a marlin 782 in .22 mag. Its got a pretty heavy barrel, but its not all the way a bull barrel and I'm rather unsatisfyed with it's accuracy. I have shot a good amount of times, and every time i sight the scope in it seems to change its zero.

Does this change in zero have to with bullets? barrel weight and heat? Or perhaps the scope mount, since its a dovetail mount- the receiver isn't drilled and tapped.

I would really suggest help with accuaracizing my rifle

 

[vta33]

Check the scope and mount

It's gotta be the scope or the scope mount. My Marlin 882ssv is extremely accurate with just about any brand of .22 mag ammo.

 

[Steve in PA]

If you have to re-sight in the scope its not the rifle. It's either the scope, the mounts or the shooter.

I have the same rifle and its dead on accurate at 100yds with Winchester Supreme ammo. My rifle is the older style with the grooved receiver, but I've never had a problem with the mounts.

 

[rangerruck]

get some kwiksite, weaver tip off mounts, they will look like little leggo squares. then torque them babies down on the dovetail. then , find you some rings that have 4 screws in the top of the cover, they will also be naturally wider at the base of the rings as well. for some reason,(physics, but hard to explain) dovetail rails , even on a rimfire, will 'walk' a scope backwards and sideways, faster than the biggest centerfire mags you can think of. So you have to either have that dovetail rail drilled and tapped, or use the weaver tip off mounts, to keep your rings totally stable. the 783 and 883 by marlin, are arguably the most accurate 22 mags ever made, by any mfgr. So unless you have all the screws loose on the thing, i would discount the weapon as the problem.

 

[redneck2]

I used to have a Simmons 44 Mag scope on my Knight muzzle loader. Get it "sighted in", go hunting, and it would change zero. Sometimes a few inches, the last time it was off the paper at 100 yards. At first I thought I was bumping it and knocking if off.

One time, I was hunting in fog/drizzle and the scope fogged solid. There was a 28" spread 14 point buck that I had been after for years off in the distance. No chance with the scope locked up.

Now all my scopes are B&L, Leupold, or Burris. No problems and they hold zero for years.

As described above, probably the base/rings is/are moving. Don't overlook a defect inside the scope. I worked at a gun shop and we sold Trashco's. Had a whole pile of bad ones in the back room to send back to the factory. We'd try to talk buyers out of them (you know, the arrogant gun shop worker thing) but some guys insisted on buying cheap. That's what they got.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Several things to check:

1. Are you using the same ammo each time you take it shooting? Different ammo may shoot to a different point of impact (POI).

2. Are the screws holding the stock to the action tight?

3. Are the screws holding the scope to the action tight?

If the answers to all of the above are "yes," then you probably have a scope problem. Don't cheap out on a scope, even if it's for "just a .22." Weaver and Nikon make rimfire scopes that are high quality but won't set you back a mint. I recommend the Nikon 4x32mm ProStaff. Full retail is about $110 but sometimes you can get factory refurbished units from Natchez Shooters Supply for $69. I have one of the refurbs and it looks and performs as if it was brand new.

 

[Bottom Gun]

I have had that same problem with a lot of grooved receivers. At first I suspected the scope but after several good quality scopes shifted zero, I knew it was the mounting system.

Stay away from the cheap tip off rings, especially the aluminum ones.
I even considered putting two sets of rings on a scope to try to keep it from shifting in the grooves.
One old Remington rifle aggravated me so much I had it drilled and tapped and installed real bases and rings.

Millet rings seem to have solved my problem. I installed my last scope on a grooved receiver using Millet rings and so far, after three years and thousands of rounds, it has not changed zero.

 

[115grfmj]

Had the same thing happen with my marlin 70

it was the mounting system.....the scope was walking . I went to midway and bought the grooved to weaver mounts and switch to weaver. I havent zeroed it now in 3 years, no trouble.

This is them.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=153855

Also BKL makes great bases for 22 recievers.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Store/Category.aspx?category=SightsAndScopes&